Windows Server 2008 R2, or simply R2 for short, is the second release ofWindows Server 2008. It isn’t a completely new release, but rather addsadditional features and refinements to the existing release. In this book, we focuson the new features and refinements in R2. We assume you have at least a generalknowledge of Windows Server, and that you have some familiarity with WindowsServer 2008, although we don’t assume you’re actively running Windows Server2008. Where an R2 feature is a refinement of a feature that was new in WindowsServer 2008, we provide background on the Windows Server 2008 feature toprovide context.

Who This Book Is For

This book is targeted primarily at Windows server administrators who are responsiblefor hands-on deployment and day-to-day management of Windows-basedservers for large organizations. Windows server administrators manage file andprint servers, network infrastructure servers, Web servers, and IT applicationservers.

They use graphical administration tools as their primary interface butalso use Windows PowerShell commandlets and occasionally write WindowsPowerShell scripts for routine tasks and bulk operations. They conduct mostserver management tasks remotely by using Terminal Server or administrationtools installed on their local workstation.

What This Book Is About

Covering every aspect of Windows Server 2008 R2 in nine chapters and approximately200 pages is clearly an impossible task. Rather than try to cover everything,we’ve focused on what is new and important, while giving you the contextfrom Windows Server 2008.

Chapter 1, “What’s New in Windows Server R2” Provides a brief overview ofall the new features and capabilities of Windows Server 2008 R2.

Chapter 2, “Installation and Configuration: Adding R2 to Your World” Coversminimum system requirements, basic installation and configuration of R2, andwhat is involved in adding an R2 server to an existing Windows Server network.Configuration of the Windows Server Core installation option, added in WindowsServer 2008, is covered, along with the steps required to add a Windows Server2008 R2 domain controller to an existing Windows Server network.

Chapter 5, “Active Directory: Improving and Automating Identity andAccess” Covers the new features of Active Directory (AD), including an ADRecycle Bin, a new set of Active Directory Windows PowerShell cmdlets, andimprovements in daily AD administration.

Chapter 9, “Other Features and Enhancements” Covers the enhanced versionof Windows Server Backup included in R2, including the Windows PowerShellcommands for backing up. Also covered is the new BitLocker To Go capability,which provides an important new protection for removable volumes such asbackup disks.

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